Booster equipment for locomotives



BOOSTER EQUIPMEN'L` FOR LOCOMOTIVES BYv Jan. 2 0, 1931, M. H. RoBR-rs l BOOSTER QUIPMENT FOR LOCOMOTIVES Filed Oct. 15, 1928 SSheots--Sheet 2 A TT ORNE YS Jan. 20, 1931. M. H. ROBERTS BOOSTER EQUIPMENT FOR LOCOMOTIVES Filed oct. 13, 1928 5 sheets-Shut :s

1N VETo/e W TTORNE YS tors, although this is not absolutely essential. In motors of this kindthe, actual rotation of n the booste-r parts is neverreversed', the steam being supplied. at all vtimes 'in one direction.

Reversal of the booster `or of itsdrivingkv function'is accomplished by means of suit-A able idler gearing which will be briefly 'de-vr g scribed, but which is more fully illustrated and claimed in the patent ofVRoberts and Forker,l No; 1,686,710 issued on October 9 Particular reference shouldenow be vmade to Fig. 5, which illustrates the forward end of thefforward booster. On the axle 2"is l' mounted a large driven gear 17. i Between the.drivingpi'nion Sand the driven gear 17 K `is mounte an-idler gear 18 which is always operation.

The two. idler 'in' mesh'with the driving pinion 8,] but Vnor- I mally out ofmeshrwiththe gear17when the boosteris not being operated. In constant mesh withvthe idler gear 18 is a second idler gearv19 which alsol is normally ont of mesh with 'the gear 17k when the booster is not V in one direction, while counterclockwise motion of the'member 2O will bring the smaller idler gear 19 into mesh with the gear 17 in order to, drive the `aXle2 in the opposite direction. The rocker 202 is operated orfmoved by means of a small motor ldevice comprisingA the ,cylinder 21, the piston22 and` the spring 23. The piston 22 is yconnected to the rocker v20 by means of a rody 24 having an eye portion 25 adapted to engage the pin 26 on the rocker. When it is desiredto mesh the gear 18 with the gear 17 ,n fluid pressure (prefer-r ably air) kfrom any suitable` source on the, locomotive is introduced through the con, nection27, whereupon the piston 22 will;

move upwardly and the gear 18 will move to the right. If it is desired to mesh the gear 19 with the gear 17, fluid pressure is admitted through the connectionk 28, whereupon lthe piston 22 Vwillgmove downwardly and the n Whenl the piston 22 reaches either its upward or downward limit gear l9rto the right.

of travel, it will expose theconnection 37- and permit the operating fluid to pass out i throughthe conduit 38 tothe booster throttle operatingmechanism 39, as will appear more clearly below. "In either direction ofl movement, the piston 22,'upon its return, will exto'k haust the pressureffrom ,the connection 37 through the annularpassage29, the commu- Y nicating ductsr30, the vlongitudinal port 31 in the rod 24 and the exhaust ducts 32 which are located just above the eye portion 25p. The particular motor idevice for operating the rocker 2O illustrated herein is more yfully describedyin the copending application of l Major T`.`Forl{er, No. 261,77 6,y filed March 15,1928. Y

on the left hand side thereof through the conduit 33, and the steam for the rear booster is broughtback'on the right hand sideof the locomotive through theA conduit 34. .The

exhaust for the forward booster takes place Y through the conduit 35, andv that for the rear booster through theconduit 3G. It will be seen that these steam supply and'exhaust` connectionscome together at about the center of the tender andare locatedbetween the y adjacent ends ofthe booster engines B, the

" The .operating steam" for the forward i booster is brought back from thev locomotive mi arrangement beingvery simple and compact.

The Ycontrolling mechanism or system for the booster motors will nowfbe described, ref-A erence being had particularly to Figa.v In this figure' the various parts. are shown'in 'elevationandnot in section, forthe reason that as individualstructures, they form no part of the presentinvention and are now quite wellA known to the art, having been in use invother boosterecombinations vfor some time and thoroughly illustrated lin other pat'- f ents and copending applications. I

The ,fluid ,pressure for the Vcontrolling mechanism isl introduced to the ksystemr through. the pipe 38'and first reaches what` isv known as the reverse lever pilot valve D, the'details of which form no` part of the present invention, but which are fully illustrated, described and claimed inl the copend E ing application of Major ,'I`. FOrler, No.

261,776, above referred to. Suffice it here' to say that when the reverse lever 40 is moved linto its forward corner (the positiony illustratedin Fig. 4),` the'fluid pressure can pass through the pilot` valve Dto the conduit 41 which hasftwoV branches 41a' andy 415 the former going to thel forward booster and being coupled to theconnection 27 previously described, Vvand thelatter to the connectionv 2.8"on the rear booster. VIt will thus beseen that whenV the :large gear 18 on the forward lbooster is meshedwith the'gear 17 in order todrive the axle 2 forwardly, the small idler gear 19 on, the rear booster is meshed' with its axle gear 17 in order to drive the axle 5 inthe same direction as theaXle 2, namely, forwardly. After entrainment has 4taken place, the fluidpressure will pass out through the connections 37 and the conduits 38 tothe booster throttles 39 already mentioned. The

steam will flow through the respective .conduits `33,;and 34 in-order to drivethe boosters.

When the ,reverse lever 40 is moved to the rear corner (the corner opposite lto the one booster :throttles will then 'be opened and' l shown in` Fig. 4),. the fluidlis .cut off from the pipe y41 and is delivered vto the pipe 42, from l whence itdivides into the .pipes 42a and 42o, the former going to the connection 28 on they 'forwardl y booster l order to if canse meshing f Tof the gear 19l todrive the 'axle,25:-inj`there' i1ersedirection, and the latter` going A to'. the," connection27 on the rear boosteriin ,orderi to mesh the gearvlSofj thatbooster. with its 1;, l y n Y boosterenginesrand means for,correlatively-A direct-ion.

gear, l? so as to drive its axle infthe'revelse be utilized, 'or'vv neither ofi them,y as may' bedesired.-

I f formsno part ofthe presentinve'ntion and ino each booster is referred to., only'y to aid v in disclosing the?,- manner in which my improvementsy are ap'-v plied. e

I claim:

l., Locomotive boosterfeqiiipment;compris@ ing in combination apair 4of.'oppositely'disposed f normally disentrained V'booster enginesv and means for simultaneously entralmn'g them to drive the locomotive iii-the direction j 2. The combination of a pair 'ef axles, j a t normally disentrained booster engine for driving,` each axle,; said booster engines being'v oppositely vdisposed,fand means for rentraineitaher directions V3.iThe combination driving each, axle, said Y*booster f engines being oppositely disposed,"means for entraining each-booster engine toV drive its" axle in either direction, and a controlling' system for said boosters adapted to Acoordinate their operationto'drive the locomotiveinthe same direction.

4. Locomotive boosterequipmentcompris ing in combination a pair of,y opposite-ly disposed nni-directlonalbooster engines, a crank shaft for each engine,I and meansl for' correlatively entraining said crank shafts with the locomotive to drive it in the directiondesired.`

5. The combination'l of Va pair` ofaxles, a.y f Y uni-directional booster engine for driving one'VV f Y of saidaxles,vr an oppositely disposed vvuni,-

directional booster engine/for drivingthe other of said axles, mechanismr` capable of A. Y 'fillare provided, respective-V v er K ly, at the jlinctioncof the'pipesfil',dictanb 10Q/lib, and the jnnction''ofjthejpipes 42,v 42a and y f 42?), so thatye'itherj'one orbotliofthe'boostersf` l may l'engine tof drive -vits axle: in

n offa plairfof axles, normally disentrained booster engine for v'.thefllocollective' re-arwardly wheny said'I-ev'ersey is set forbaclwardimotionof thelo'comotive@ l" {Yi/Locomotivebooste'r equipm'e'ntlcompris,l

king incombination withalocomotivereverse, u

pair 0f-corpositelrdiSposed.unidirectional: ff

entrainingsaid booster engines to "drive the I ,locomotives vforwardly whenfgsaid reverse is@ setv for forwardmotion andr to drivetheloco-5A 1 Y l motiverearwardly when said reverse for'backward motion of .the llocomo`t1v` e Y' V8V. In booster equipment:for` locomotives, :the combination .of forward tender-: truck`V having a plurality yof axles, a rear tender truck f 'having a plurality of axlesfa boostermotor 'adapted'to drive the rear axle ofthe iforwardyy 1 truck anaprojeetingrearwardly from Said@ axle.'toward the .rear' trucli,andal'secondrj. l booster motor .adapted .to ldrive the forward axle ofgthefrear truck'and projecting yfor f wardly fromjsaid "axle toward the forward jtrucl.A I-

AVi 9.' In* booster'*equipmentwfor"locomotives, 'the combination of aforward tender trnlckff, y havinga plurality of axles,fa rear tender",

truck havinga plurality of axles, aboosten i nmotor" adapted/to drivethejreariaxleoffthef *f forward trnck'fand projectingrearwardlyf` i l second'booster motorjadapted to drive the said booster.

from saidaxle toward the-rearftruck, anda'- 95 c forward axle of the rear triicl; andproj ectingjl f Q forwardly from said axletowardthe forward vf z ktruck,V togetherjwith steam delivery f and` I'exf 1 haust meansbetweenfthe adjacent endsl of thel combination ,offa forwardA tend'ertrnck fhavino-a pluralityof axles,a rear-,tender truck aving apluralityofaxles", aboosterk y A motor adapted to drive lthe, reariaxleof they'.

Vforward* truck and' ,.projecting'rearwardly f fromsaid axle towardtherrear truck, a'second booster motor adapted to drive; the-'forward axle ofthe rear truck and fprojectingfor.

Wardly from; said. axle toward l'theji forward truck, and means connectingthe booster drivenvaXle'o-f each'truck to the other axles of said truck.

In testimony whereof signedrmy name.V v

reversibly entraining each bcosterv with its axle, and means for causing correlative entrainment of each booster to' drive the locomov tive inthe direction desired.`

6. Locomotive boosterfequipment to drive. the `locomotive'forwardly when said reverse is setfor forward motion and to drive Y 

